


Pathway to Ascension

by orphan_account



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Brainwashed!Max AU, First Camp Camp story, it's short don't hate me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-06 07:58:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11596350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Max, under Daniel's control, is now Maven.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> It's short, I know, I don't like how short it his either. I originally had an idea for a scene with Neil and Nikki in it, but I wasn't sure how I would really be able to fit that in here smoothly.
> 
> Anyway, this is based off of the AU our communist pal @cartooncommubackup made on Tumblr. 
> 
> I might do one later for Jasper The Not So Friendly Ghost? Idk yet though.
> 
> UGH I WISH I MADE IT LONGER THE IDEAS JUST WEREN'T FLOWING I'M SORRY I SUCK

One of the children from the nearby camp had gone missing, along with a councilor.

Everyone in Sleepy Peak knew about it- their faces had been plastered everywhere, along with the last date they had been seen.  The child had disappeared a few days before the councilor, and everyone who had bothered to look at the signs knew this by heart.

For some of the older residents of the town, the incident reminded them of a certain blonde haired boy from years and years ago.  The boy, who some of the residents with a better condition to their memories could remember was named Jasper, was never found.

They hoped that Max didn’t end up like Jasper.  They weren’t optimistic.  As for David, his disappearance was only mildly concerning.  A child was always more important than an adult, after all.

* * *

Two figures stood in a newly opened doorway.  Both of them were dressed in white clothing, and both had smiles that were so wide they almost seemed unnatural.  

“Welcome to your new home, Maven!” the taller figure said, sweeping his arm out across the space.  

The shorter figure turned his head, taking in the room before him.  While it was dimly lit, he could see white carpet, a wooden coffee table, and a white leather couch.  “It looks comfy!” he said as the taller figure flipped on the light, shrugging as he did so.

“My followers are generous,” he said, “they know that bringing people to ascension doesn’t pay well!”

Maven stepped farther into the space, looking at a small group of white candles that had been set up on the coffee table.  When he was done with his inspection, he turned his head to look at the taller figure.  “Do you really think I’ll be able to reach ascension someday, Daniel?” he asked.  “That’s why you brought me here, right?”

Daniel nodded.  “Of course I do, Maven,” he told him, in a voice that almost sounded caring.  “Now, shall we bring in our guest?” he asked.

Maven nodded, his smile growing slightly wider.

* * *

 

“When will we go purify the camp?” Maven asked one day, walking next to Daniel with a plastic grocery bag in each hand.  “You talk about it alot.”

“There’s a certain time frame for these things,” Daniel explained.  “You can’t just walk into a camp one day and start purifying kids whenever!”  He lifted a hand and ruffled the boy’s hair, which granted him a bright, toothy smile sent his way.  “You, Maven, were a special case.”

Maven nodded, but he was still looking forward to the day the two of them returned to Camp Campbell.  The kool-aid and rat poison in their grocery bags was for another reason today, though.

* * *

“Are you even _trying_ to get out of those ropes?” Maven asked.  He twisted a knife with a bent blade in his hand, the metal glinting in the light of the lamp in the corner of the room every once in awhile.  “You were the one who taught me how to tie the knots, you should be able to get out.”

David was covered in cuts and bruises.  His camp counselor's outfit was covered in old blood and some smudges of dirt from when Daniel and Maven had first captured him.  The bandana he wore, that Maven had discovered was actually an old Camp Campbell t-shirt, barely looked yellow anymore.

“Max-” David began.

“Don’t call me that,” Maven said, his smile growing smaller, but not disappearing.  “That’s not my name anymore.”

“You have to snap out of this, Max,” David said.  “Daniel is doing something to you!”

Maven cracked his neck, his head tilted to the right.  “All Daniel’s doing is leading me to ascension,” he said.  “He says I can do it, and if he says I can, than I can!” he took a few steps closer to David.  “And, _again,_ Max isn’t my name anymore."

Maven lifted the knife.  David screamed when it came back down and landed on its mark.

* * *

‘Max’ was impure.  It was a name that symbolized what he used to be, and what he used to resist.  Max was arguably one of the _most_ impure, fighting Daniel at every turn and stopping him from helping others, like he was meant to do. 

‘Max’, even ‘Maxwell’, was an impure name, and not something one could call someone who was on the path to purity.  It’s meaning, ‘great stream’, had nothing to do with purity.  It had everything to do with those who cared more about themselves than with how they could help others.

‘Maven’ was the name Daniel had given him.  ‘Maven’ was a pure name.  It symbolized the path he was on now, the one that Daniel had guided him to.  It meant ‘one who understands’.  It meant that he could help those who were confused, and help put them on the right path, just like Daniel had done to him.

Max wasn’t his name anymore.  Maven was.

* * *

Sometimes, Maven would wake up in the middle of the night.  His mind would cling to pieces of a dream- or was it a memory? He would remember a wooden staff, Indian clothing, a bonfire.  The faces in the dream- _memory,_ something told him, but he knew that couldn’t be true- were blurry, the setting even more so.

  
He always had a headache whenever he woke up from this dream.  It would be hard for him to fall asleep again afterwards, and when he did it would be to his mind playing the distant memory- _dream,_ he reminded- of a woman singing words he couldn’t remember.


	2. Chapter Two

Maven pulled the bow across the strings, listening to the sound that the action produced.  The song started off slow, slowly speeding up to become more and more energetic.  He tapped his foot along with the beat of the song.  His white surroundings disappeared as the song went on, and reappeared to him as soon as he played the last note.

Clapping filled the room.  “You’ve gotten better, Maven!” Daniel said, a wide smile on his face.

“Thanks!” the boy said, lowering the violin so that it rested on his lap.

“You should bring that with us when we leave,” the blonde suggested.

“Leave?” Maven asked, tilting his head as he spoke the question.  

“Did I forget to tell you?” The boy nodded.  “I found a camp for us to go to!”

The white-clad boy’s smile grew wider.  “We get to help kids ascend?” Daniel nodded, and Maven was on his feet in an instant.  “I’ll go pack!” He rushed towards his room.

* * *

Maven was bouncing in the backseat of Daniel’s car, watching as they past by a forest of deadwood trees.  The area was dark, and the branches of the trees were so tightly woven together that barely any light passed through them.

“See how dark this place is?” Daniel said as he drove along the dirt road.  “The people here need us to bring them light!”  Maven nodded in agreement, excitement pooling in his stomach.  The car started to slow as they pulled up to a log cabin.  “Welcome to Camp Silver Shadow, Maven!”

The two white-clad males got out of the car.  Maven walked at Daniel’s heels as they approached the door to the cabin.  The blonde knocked at the door that swung open seconds later, revealing a tired-looking redhead.  She blinked her green eyes at Daniel, before she looked down at Maven.  “Hello,” she said slowly.

“Good morning! I’m here for the job listing?” the second part of Daniel’s statement came out as more of a question.

“Oh, right,” she said.  A second woman, one with long black hair and blue eyes peered over the redhead’s shoulder, her eyes narrowed as she looked from the blonde to the boy.

“Uh… hello,” the ravenette said, somewhat awkwardly.

“Hello there, friend!” Daniel said with a wave.  “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Daniel, and this-” he gestured towards his smaller companion, “is Maven.  I hope I’m not too late to submit my resume?”

“No, no,” the redhead said.  “You’re actually the first person, surprisingly enough,” she glanced backwards at the ravenette, who shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ll get the paperwork for Maven,” she said, before hesitating.  “You _do_ want him to stay here, right?”

Daniel nodded.  “That I do!” He looked down at Maven.  “Go on and meet the other campers.  I’ll take care of everything here!”

The redhead pointed into the forest.  “Go down that trail and you’ll find ‘em,” she said.  “My name’s Brooklyn, and this-” she gestured to the ravenette behind her, “is Finley.”

Maven nodded.  “It’s nice to meet you!” he said politely, before running down the path that Brooklyn had pointed out to him.  While this part of the forest still had little to no light, the dirt path under his feet and the thick trunks around him were lit by a dim golden light from the rising sun.  It didn’t take long for the sounds of chaos to reach his ears, and he hurried along a bit faster to reach the source.  

He emerged into a clearing full of golden light and two different cabins.  Running around in the clearing was a group of campers.  

Sitting by one of the cabins was two girls- one had white hair styled into a side shave and the other had long and curly ginger hair.  The white haired girl was playing guitar, while the ginger sang.  A purple haired girl- Maven assumed that her hair was dyed- was tossing a ball high into the air and catching it again.  A boy with a black afro was talking with another, taller boy with curly, black hair- the taller boy looked subtly angry, while the shorter seemed smug.  A spikey, brown haired boy was walking towards a pair of twins with a staff.  Said twins had red, poofy hair- one of them wore it in pigtails while the other’s was short.  They made eye contact with Maven, before they screamed “NEW CAMPER!” at the top of their lungs, racing over to him.

Each twin held out a hand to him.  “I’m Sammy!” the girl said.

“I’m Ethan!” the boy introduced.  Both spoke with a smile to rival his own.  He reached out both hands, grasping the twins’ and shaking.

“I’m Maven!” he said.  The twins shook his hands violently.

“Welcome!” the two chorused.  

“Thanks!” Maven said happily.  He turned his head to watch as the white-haired girl- noticing that the roots of her hair were a different color, he realized that her hair was bleached that color- dragging the ginger behind her as she approached.  She stopped next to the twins, while the ginger seemed to almost hide behind her as she extended a hand.

“I’m Cade,” she said, “and this is Jillian!”

“Hi,” Jillian said softly, playing with her hands and staring at the ground.

Maven took Cade’s hand and introduced himself, before he looked over at the four campers that hadn’t approached him.  “Who’re they?” he asked.

“The one with the staff is Joshy!” Sammy told him.

“He calls people peasants, and he thinks he’s a king,” Ethan added.

“Gaz is the one with purple hair,” Cade said.

“She’s weird,” the twins chorused.

“Barns is the tall one talking to Orion,” Cade shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie as she spoke.

“Orion’s probably going to get-” Jillian was cut off as the group watched Barns sweep Orion’s feet out from under him with a large smile on his face.  “Nevermind,” the ginger mumbled.

“Kathryn-”

“Jillian’s brother-”

“Is still sleeping,” the twins filled in.

Maven looked around, but he didn’t see anyone else.  “Is that everyone?” Jillian nodded, but stayed silent as Cade hummed an affirmative.

* * *

 Daniel had told Maven on the ride over that he wanted the process to go slower than it had at Camp Campbell- he wanted to gain the trust of the kids and the councilors before he led the other campers to ascension.

“Maven’s a weird name,” Orion commented over the plate of lasagna he had been given for dinner.

“So is Orion,” Maven said, but his smile dropped in size.  The short boy shrugged his shoulders for a long moment.  

“I guess I can’t argue,” he said, shoving a forkful of the pasta into his mouth.

“Is Daniel your dad?” Kathryn asked, leaning forward on the wooden table.  “Finley said you two came to camp together.”

Maven thought for a few moments, his head quickly tilting to the left with a crack.  “You could say he is,” he told the youngest camper.

“You could say he is?” Barns repeated in his thick accent, his brown eyes narrowed.  “The fuck is _that_ supposed to mean?” Maven ignored the question, but his smile dropped a bit more.

“Maybe Daniel’s adopting him?” Gaz suggested, not seeming to mind that Maven could hear her.

“Maybe,” Orion agreed.

* * *

“Forward!” Cade yelled, pulling Jillian along the trail by her wrist.  

“I want marshmallows!” Gaz cheered, almost running past the councilors before Brooklyn grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

“ _S’mores,_ Gaz,” Orion correct.

“Marshmallows are marshmallows,” Barns argued, the words sounding strange with his Scottish accent.  “Doesn’t matter what form they take.”

“It’s _S’mores_ ,” the twins said, shaking their heads with their hands tucked into their pockets.

“S’mores are made of _marshmallows_ ,” Joshy said slowly, twirling his staff as he walked.

“What if Gaz just wants to eat marshmallows?” Cade argued.  

Jillian and Kathryn blinked at her.  “Why would she only want marshmallows?” Jillian asked.

“What’s the point of marshmallows if they’re not for s’mores?” Kathryn added, a confused look on his face.

“The s’mores side outnumbers the marshmallows side,” Barns said, turning on his heels to walk backwards and look at Maven.  “Unless you’ve got your own opinion?”

“S’mores are better,” he said, plastering a smile on his face.

* * *

The group sat on the edge of the fire pit on logs that had been turned into benches, carefully munching on s’mores.  Finley held more marshmallows over the fire, cooking them until they were golden-brown- Gaz had told Maven that she was the master of the perfect s’more.  Maven turned his gaze towards the sky- in between the long-reaching branches of the deadwood forest was a cluster of stars, and a nearly-full moon shining down onto the ground.  The grass and trees around them was tinged silver, giving Maven an understanding of why the camp was named Silver Shadow.

“Does anybody have any campfire stories?” Brooklyn asked, tucking a stray lock of red hair behind an ear.  None of the campers spoke.

“I’ve got a few!” Daniel said, tilting his head quickly and cracking it.  Brooklyn’s face paled a bit, before she looked over at Finley.

“Do you have a story, Finley?” she asked.  The ravenette stretched out a hand, covering the redhead’s mouth.

“I’m focusing,” she said, her eyes intently focused on the fire.  Brooklyn moved her hand out of the way, looking back towards the blonde reluctantly.

“Alright, Daniel,” she said, “go ahead.”

Daniel turned towards the campers, a wide smile on his face rivaled only by the one Maven wore.  “Well, kiddos,” he began, “did you know all negative emotions come from space?”

* * *

“Do we have enough people for kickball?” Orion asked, looking from one of the ten campers to another.  

“What’s kickball?” Gaz and Barns asked in unison, looking at each other with a surprised look on their faces.  Kathryn jumped in front of the two, quickly explaining the rules of the game and only giving the two a lost look on their faces.

“We can improvise,” Cade said.  Sammy and Ethan nodded in agreement.  

“We only need a pitcher-” Ethan began.

“A kicker,” Sammy added.

“And basemen,” the two finished together.

“So five people on my team, and five on Barns’?” Orion asked.

“Why are _you_ leading the team, peasant?” Joshy nearly snarled.

Orion reached over and patted the top of Joshy’s head.  “You don’t seem like the leading type.”

“I don’t want to lead a team,” Barns said as Joshy looked like he was about to explode with anger.  “Joshy can lead mine.”

The brunette nodded.  “At least _someone_ here knows how to respect authority.  I want Barns, Cade, Jillian, and Maven.”  Maven blinked as his name was mentioned.

“Fine,” Orion said.  “My team’ll pitch first.”

“My _kingdom_ will run yours into the ground,” Joshy growled, spinning on his heel towards home base.  “Follow me, peasants!”

* * *

Maven sat, watching with narrowed eyes as the campers’ game of kickball turned into a vicious game of tag.  

“Maven!” he snapped his head around to look at Daniel, who was standing at the edge of the woods.  The other campers stopped in place, their eyes going from Daniel to Maven.  “Come with me!” he called.  Maven rushed over to the blonde, and followed at his heels as they walked through the trees.

Maven’s eyes widened as he saw white wood turned to a pale gold in the morning light.  “Is that a Purification Sauna?!” he asked happily, looking up at Daniel.  The councilor nodded.

“Ascension will start tomorrow!” the man knelt down so that he was eye-level with Maven, putting his hands on his shoulders.  “I need your help taking care of the councilors tonight.”  Happily, Maven nodded.

* * *

Maven could hear muffled grunts and whimpers, even past the wooden door of the cabin.  “Daniel,” he began.  “Why don’t we let the councilors ascend?” he asked.

“Adults are set in their ways,” Daniel told him.  “It’s harder to purify them.  Instead, we save as many children as we can.”  Maven nodded, and pushed open the door.  The two women’s eyes widened as they saw him, and started struggling harder against the ropes and their gags.  Daniel handed him the knife with the crooked blade.  “You know what to do, Maven,” he said.  Maven took the blade by the hilt and walked forward towards the councilors.

By the time he was done, his clothes were stained red.

* * *

Once, Maven had heard of the Stone Tape Theory.  It was something he had found on TV before he left for Camp Campbell, looking for a something to watch.  It said that impressions of an event would be left in the wood, trees, and earth.  Under certain conditions, those impressions could show themselves to the living world. 

Maybe, Maven thought, that was why he still heard screaming when he went to sleep that night.

* * *

“This way!” Daniel called to the campers, marching through the forest.

“Where’s Finley and Brooklyn?” Joshy asked, his eyes narrowed.

“They ate something bad yesterday at dinner,” Daniel told him.  “I’m taking charge of activities for the day!”

Kathryn pulled at Maven’s sleeve, making him look down at the youngest camper.  “Is Daniel fun?” he asked quietly.  With a large smile, Maven nodded.

“Daniel’s the best!” he told him.  “He’s helping you more than you know.”  That was answer enough for the boy, but Jillian gave him a suspicious look while Cade only seemed confused.

The group emerged into the small clearing that contained the Purification Sauna, along with a table full of kool-aid that Daniel had set up the night before.  

“Purification Sauna?” the twins read, a confused look on their faces.

Jillian paled, taking a few steps away.  Daniel grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.  “Where are you going, Jillian?” he asked, cracking his neck.  

“You’re insane!” was her response, still trying to get out of the blonde’s hold.  Unaffected, he shoved her through the open door of the sauna.

“Jillian!” Cade and Kathryn yelled, running in after her before the door slammed shut.  The remaining six campers looked confused, scared, or a mixture of both.

“What are you doing to them?” Orion asked in a shaky voice, a confused look on his face.

“Who cares?” Gaz yelled.  “Run!”

Before she could leave the clearing, Maven grabbed her by the arm and pulled.  She let out a yelp of pain and fell to the ground.  Maven put his foot on her back, keeping her on the ground.

“Daniel’s _helping_ you,” Maven said.  “You’re going to ascend!”

Joshy looked between Daniel and Maven.  “You’re insane!” he said, his eyes wide.

“They’re cultists!” Barns added, lifting a leg and kicking Maven in the stomach- he assumed in an attempt to get him off of Gaz.  Maven knew that Barns was a fighter.  He’d seen him start fights with Orion or Joshy many times, and if Maven wasn’t taught as well has he’d been by Daniel than he was sure that he would have been sent flying.  As Daniel grabbed the collar of Barns’ jacket, the door of the sauna swung open.  Three figures, their pupils blown wide and clad in all white, walked out of the sauna.  

“We love you, Daniel!” Jillian, Cade, and Kathryn chorused.

Daniel pushed Barns into the sauna.  “Bring Gaz in, too, Maven!” The boy picked the purple-haired girl up off of the ground, and despite her kicking and screaming, was able to push her into the sauna.  The door closed right as Barns started running for the entrance.

Cade and Jillian both held one of the twins, stopping them from escaping.  Daniel had taken Orion and Joshy- Maven and Kathryn took Joshy from the blonde, stopping the brunette from leaving.

After Barns and Gaz left the sauna, they shoved Joshy inside.  Once Joshy left, it was Orion’s turn, and the twins followed.

* * *

With a cup of untainted kool-aid, Maven clinked cups with the rest of the campers clad in white.  He watched as they choked and coughed, and laid still on the ground.  He smiled- another group of campers saved. 

* * *

The tune he played on his violin was quiet, slow, and beautifully sad.  His foot tapped to the beat, and the song ended on a long low note.  Daniel appeared through the trees and sat in the driver’s seat.  “The next camp will be Camp Campbell, Maven!” he told him.   

Maven put the violin back in its case with a large smile on his face.  There was something that he liked about this last group of campers, but once he was ready to ascend, he knew that he’d see them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to jasperthefriendlyghost (owner of Orion), Gaz (owner of Gaz), Ruebarbpie (owner of Joshy, Sammy, and Ethan), and Shilonas (owner of Jillian and Kathryn) for letting me use their OCs! Barns and Cade are owned by me.
> 
> There might be one last chapter when they go back to Camp Campbell and kill everyone, but I'm not sure. We'll just have to wait and find out.


	3. Chapter Three

Camp Campbell looked just like it had before he left- surrounded by a huge forest, the clearing that the campers were living in looked man-made.  The mess hall was, surprisingly, still standing, and the fire pit was giving Maven a strange feeling.  There was something about the stones and ashes that made him feel sad, nostalgic, and want to run towards the mess hall as fast as he could to find a certain redhead.

He shook the thoughts from his mind.  He was here because of Daniel, and Daniel was going to free him from this plane of existence.  Whether they knew it or not, or even if they didn’t want it, the campers were being saved.  They were ignorant, Daniel said, ignorant of the twisted world around them and they had no idea how much their souls were crying out to be saved.

 _Like you were!_ Daniel’s voice rang through his head.   _And like all the campers before you._

 _I couldn’t find David, anyways,_ Maven thought, throwing the last of the dirt on top of the new grave belonging to a certain roleplayer.   _He’s gone now.  I got rid of him._  Maven let out a small huff of air, walking back towards the car with his shovel in hand.  He’d gotten his impure clothes dirty, and he needed a shower.

* * *

A Purification Sauna, Daniel said, wouldn’t work this time.  These campers had already seen what it could do, and they feared ascension.  Maven was the decoy, dressed in his old, impure clothing.  He would stand outside of the forest, waiting to be spotted by a camper, before he rushed into the forest.  This time, Gwen was on his heels, racing after him as he weaved around trees and bushes.

She fell to the ground with a groan, her hands coming up to press against the spot where she had been hit on the back of the head.  Slowly, like it was hard for her, she turned her head to look at Maven.

“Max?” she slurred.  Her voice, even sounding so different after her blow to the head, gave him a feeling similar to the one the fire pit gave him.

“Not anymore,” Daniel answered, playing with the knife in his hands.  “I gave him a new name! A pure name!”  He turned his blue eyes onto the boy.  “Good job, Maven! Killing Gwen will make this whole process faster.”

Gwen screamed when she was stabbed, just like the campers had when they were being forcefully purified.

* * *

Choking and coughing met Maven’s ears.  He watched as the kids he used to live with, and suffer through the scam of a camp that was Camp Campbell, dropped to the ground and became still.  Neil and Nikki took the longest, but eventually they joined the others on the wooden floor of the mess hall.  Not that there was many they could call “others”- only Nurf, Space Kid, and Ered remained from the white clad pairs' earlier killings.

“Here, Maven,” Daniel said, passing him a cup of kool-aid.  “It’s time that you ascended!”

Maven’s eyes and smile widened.  “You think I’m ready?” he asked happily.

Daniel nodded.  “You’re _more_ than ready.”

Maven took the cup happily, looking up at the prophet before he drank.  “I’m going to miss you, Daniel.”

The man reached forward and ruffled Maven’s hair.  “I will, too,” he said.  The boy lifted the cup to his lips and drank.  He choked, he coughed, he fell to the floor.  As his eyes darkened, his dream came back to him- the wooden staff, the Indian clothing, a bonfire, and singing.

This time, though, the singing was clearer.  Gwen’s voice became so clear that he could almost understand the words, until she got to the last line of the song

  
_“Camp Campbell is the place for me and you,”'_ the woman sang, and Max realized just what had happened to him before consciousness escaped him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I tried to go more angst, less action in this chapter. Anyway, this is the end! Until the part two comes out, anyway...


End file.
